NY Times Bestselling Author Becomes the First South Asian Woman to Write ‘Ms. Marvel’

June 18, 2021

Samira Ahmed, a New York Times bestselling YA (Young Adult) author, makes history as the first South Asian woman to write a comic book series for “Ms. Marvel.”

The announcement: The new series, titled “Ms. Marvel: Beyond The Limit,” will be penned by Ahmed and illustrated by “Runaways” artist Andrés Genolet, Marvel announced on Thursday.

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“After an explosion of interdimensional proportions at her cousin’s lab in Chicago, Kamala Khan’s world is turned upside down….and into a Bollywood set?!” the synopsis reads. “Ms. Marvel’s powers are on the fritz and time is running out to figure out what exactly is going on.”
“Ms. Marvel: Beyond The Limit” is a miniseries that will run for five issues starting September, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Relatable: Speaking to EW, Ahmed said she had zero representation while growing up as a kid of color and Muslim kid, adding that she was “stunned” when G. Willow Wilson and Sana Amanat announced a comic book series for Ms. Marvel in 2013.

“My heart soars for all the kids who will have Ms. Marvel comics as part of their childhood,” Ahmed said.
She noted that Kamala Khan’s teenage life was relatable, especially with the way the character has to balance many things in her life including parental expectations, school, crushes and her “extraordinary side job.”
“A lot of it will be about food, because we can all relate to Kamala on that level,” she also said.
The series only has Muslim writers so far, including Wilson then Saladin Ahmed who took over in 2019.

Other details: “Ms. Marvel: Beyond The Limit” is Ahmed’s first comic book work outside the YA genre.

Ahmed teased that the series will include “some familiar faces and fan favorites, but also some new faces.”
Readers can also expect to see “some pretty striking South Asian cultural elements” in the story.
A live-action adaptation of “Ms. Marvel” is being developed by Disney+ starring Pakistani Canadian newcomer actress Iman Vellani.

“Ms. Marvel: Beyond The Limit #1” will be released on Sept. 15.

Featured Image via @sam_aye_ahm (left), PlayStation (right)

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